Royal Rumbling Hearts
by Lowrider
Summary: Phineas & Ferb end up with invites to the wedding of Prince William and Cate Middleton. Phineas invites Isabella to attend with him, but who's Ferb going to go with? Ferb/Gretchen fic.  Final edited version now up with full author afterword.
1. Chapter 1

Isabella blinked multiple times as her brain seemed to disconnect from the rest of her. This was one of those times where even she couldn't suspend her disbelief at the events happening in her life, or at least at the events happening in Phineas' life.

"You wanna run all that by me again," she asked, finally coming back to her senses. "I'm not sure I understood that all correctly."

"Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher got invites to the royal wedding," Phineas told her, starting over again. "They wanted to pass the invites along to mom and dad, but they've got another antique show to attend so they can't go, and Candace and Stacey are still currently grounded for the Laundromat cheese incident. So they asked if Ferb and I wanted to go instead, and we can each take a guest with us."

Isabella blinked multiple times yet again. "Yeah, see, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around how in the world your family got invites when even the President of the United States didn't."

"The President doesn't have our connections," Ferb said in a cool yet cocky tone.

"Anyway, we're looking for two more to come with us and you were at the top of the list," Phineas told her. "You interested in coming, Isabella?"

'It'll probably end up like Paris all over again,' Isabella told herself mentally. 'But still, more time with Phineas is always fun.'

"I'd love to go, Phineas," she replied, smiling. "It's gonna be the wedding of the decade, after all."

"Excellent! Just make sure you pack something fancy for the ball later on."

Something akin to the sound of a record scratching rang out in Isabella's head. "Ball? As in…dancing?"

"Well yeah," Phineas said, now blushing a little. "We have to show up at a ball being held that evening. I'm not real used to stuff like this, especially with someone like y- er, I mean, especially going with a girl."

"So we're going to be together at a royal ball?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Dancing."

"Uh huh.

"Just the two of us."

"Kinda hard to dance with more than two people, but yes."

Once again, Isabella blinked multiple times, her brain scrambling to process the situation she was now involved in. "Okay, well, pardon me. I need to go pack. And by 'pack' I mean 'explode'. Later!"

"Well that's one down," Phineas said, turning to Ferb as Isabella left.

"Did you really need to play that out with Isabella so much," Ferb asked as he walked with Phineas towards the living room. "You knew she'd say 'yes' before you even called her over here."

Phineas scratched the back of his neck a bit, nervously. "I'm taking some of Jeremy's advice. He said girls like this sorta thing. I gotta admit it feels a bit funny that I'll be doing all this grown up stuff with Isabella, though."

"Now would this be 'Clown-getting-hit-in-the-face-with-a-pie-funny', or 'I-don't-want-to-admit-that-I'm-blushing-at-the-cute-girl-from-across-the-street-funny'?"

Phineas narrowed his eyes at his brother as he blushed even more now. "You're hilarious. Anyway, on to the task of finding you someone to go with."

"That's easier said than done."

"Oh come on, all the people you know and you can't think of one girl to invite? What about that girl we picked up when we flew around the world, Vanessa?"

Ferb sighed and flopped down on the couch while Phineas leaned against the wall nearby. "She's got a boyfriend, and I seriously doubt she'd consider going with someone six years younger than her. Plus, the last time I saw her was in Paris. You know, where she left me holding a rose I'd bought for her?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry about dragging that memory up, bro. Well, maybe Isabella can help hook you up with someone. Let's call her back up and see what she has to say."

"I suppose, but you may want to hold off on that call for just a minute."

"Why's that?"

Just then, something that sounded like a girl's scream coming from Isabella's house permeated the air for several seconds. The boys both covered their ears to muffle it.

"You can probably call her now," Ferb said, uncovering his ears once the screaming had ceased. "I just didn't want you ending up in the emergency room for a ruptured eardrum."

* * *

Gretchen was used to responding to Isabella's summons, but that morning's phone call had been the most exuberant and frantic she'd ever gotten from her best friend. All she really got out of it was "come over now" and "most romantic trip ever". No doubt it had to do with Phineas.

Upon reaching Isabella's room, Gretchen was greeted by a pile of clothes in the middle of the room and no sign of her friend.

"Isabella," she called out, stepping into the room. "Are you in here?"

The mound of clothes shuddered for a moment and Isabella popped her head out from the middle of it. She looked almost catatonic. "Look at this! I have all these clothes and none of them are worth wearing!"

"Phineas invited you to something, didn't he," Gretchen asked as she pulled Isabella from the pile.

"Not just anything, Gretchen," Isabella told her as she grabbed her by the shoulders. "The most romantic - if unintentionally so - thing he's ever invited me to!"

Isabella caught Gretchen up about the royal wedding invitation and the subsequent ball. Gretchen, like Isabella herself, had to have it explained to her a couple of times before it all sank in.

"Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime event," Gretchen said in amazement. "Please make sure to take some photos while you're there, Izzie. I'd love to see what it ends up looking like."

Isabella smirked at her friend and second-in-command and put a hand on her shoulder. "Why not see it for yourself?"

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"Ferb still needs someone to go with him, you know…"

"He does," Gretchen blurted out in a mixture of amazement and excitement. "I mean, uh…how does that figure?"

"Don't even try hiding it, girl," Isabella told her, folding her arms. "I know you've got a crush of some kind on him."

"So what if I do? I'm not totally crazy over him like you are for Phineas."

"But you do like him, right?"

"…well he is the reason for my first 'I Just Saw a Cute Boy' patch."

"The way I see it, you've got nothing to lose. Worst case scenario: he's not interested in you like that but you still get to go see the biggest wedding of the decade and get all dressed up to boot. Not to mention hanging out in London!"

Gretchen pondered the possibility as Isabella went back to digging through her clothes. She, like Ferb, was highly intellectual but also quite active. His usual quiet nature made him a bit mysterious as well, which she also liked. Finally, Isabella's logic was sound for once. Even if things didn't go her way romantically, how many other opportunities would she ever get to attend a royal wedding in her life?

"Mind if I step out for a bit, Izzie," Gretchen asked, standing up and stepping over to the door.

"What for," Isabella asked, half-buried in clothes once again.

Gretchen smiled back at her as she opened the door. "I know what I'm going to do today."

Isabella smiled back and pumped her fist in the air for her friend. "That's the spirit! Just please come back soon, I'm totally lost on what I should wear."

Nodding quickly, Gretchen left Isabella 's room and made a bee-line for the house across the street. It was time for her to seize the day for once.

* * *

Ferb climbed back down the tree in his backyard, scratching his head once back on the ground. Perry had gone missing as usual, and a quick search of the house and yard had been fruitless. As he began pondering other places to check for the missing platypus, the gate opened and he saw Gretchen step though. She stopped for a moment upon seeing him, and then continued over towards him.

"Good morning, Ferb," she said pleasantly. "I didn't come over at a bad time, did I?"

"Not at all," Ferb replied. "Merely attempting to track down a particularly elusive Ornithorhynchus Anatinus."

"Ah. I'd offer to help, but I've never had any luck getting my 'Semi-Aquatic Monotreme Tracking' Patch."

Ferb cocked an eyebrow at her. "Such a thing exists?"

Gretchen giggled at him. "Only in my own imagination; though I do keep meaning to suggest it as a possible future patch."

"Well, if you do ever get it, please share your tips with me someday. The question of where Perry goes every day is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."

"Will do, though I'm not sure Perry would love the idea of being compared to Russia."

Ferb was full-on intrigued now. "Familiar with quotes from Churchill, are you?"

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty," Gretchen said in response, closing her eyes as she spoke. "That's probably my favorite quote of his."

"It's one of my favorites as well. You didn't speak to Phineas about that before you came here, did you?"

Gretchen shook her head at him. "Nope, haven't even seen him yet. I just came over from Isabella's. She told me about Phineas inviting her to the royal wedding. That's really something else."

"It's quite an opportunity. I can't speak for Phineas, but I'm quite honored to be attending. I just need to find someone to take with me now, is all."

"You know people all over the world, right? Any of them would probably jump at the chance to go."

"It's not as easy as that, not for me at least. I don't want to go with just anyone. I'd rather it at least be a friend like…"

Ferb cut himself off when he finally put all the pieces together. Phineas had called Isabella earlier for ideas on who he could invite and here was Gretchen freshly over visiting from Isabella's house. He mentally smacked himself and noted that he would perhaps be a bit less hard on Phineas for the obliviousness he usually showed around Isabella.

"Gretchen," he said, clearing his throat and recovering from his momentary lapse, "I don't suppose you'd care to attend the royal wedding in London with me?"

"I would like nothing better," she replied with a smile. "And don't worry, I'm not another Isabella."

"I knew that when you quoted Churchill."

"Heh, yeah, Isabella's not the bookish type. Speaking of which, I'd better get back over to her before she becomes hopelessly buried in her own wardrobe."

"Mind if we trade cell phone numbers? I'd rather contact you directly with information on our departure, if that's alright."

Gretchen nodded and, after a quick trade of numbers, she hurried off back to Isabella's house. Once she was gone, Ferb allowed himself a moment of celebration as he not only solved the issue of his companion for the trip, but also that it was someone he previously hadn't realized was so interesting; or, for that matter, cute.


	2. Chapter 2

Danville International Airport was bustling with activity. Between people rushing to the security checkpoint, people getting upset over waiting in long lines, people trying to calm or soothe young children who were terminally bored, and people waiting eagerly to pick up someone who was arriving, it made for a crowd that would have been daunting to the average person to weave through. Gretchen, on the other hand, was anything but average. Her combination of above-average intellect, below-average height, and all her Fireside Girl training meant she was able to maneuver through the busy terminal with relative ease. She spotted Phineas and Ferb waiting near the security checkpoint and quickly made her way over to them.

"Hey guys," she said upon reaching them. She collapsed the arm of her rolling suitcase and stood it upright next to her. "How long have you been here?"

"About a half hour," Phineas replied. "You're packed awfully light, Gretchen. You sure that's enough stuff?"

"I've got pretty good packing skills thanks to some tips I got from Ginger," she replied proudly. She then noticed Ferb only had a backpack with him. "But I'm not packed as lightly as Ferb, it seems."

Phineas laughed a bit. "Yeah, Ferb has mad folding skills. You should've seen his map when we flew around the world that day."

Gretchen merely nodded and then looked around a bit. "So, where's Isabella?"

"Not here yet," Phineas noted. "I hope she gets here soon, we need to get through security still."

"By the way…" Ferb added, looking over at Phineas.

Phineas sighed in disgust. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You won the bet."

Gretchen cocked an eyebrow at the brothers. "What bet?"

"Ferb and I put bets on who'd show up last," Phineas explained. "He said it'd be Isabella. I said I thought you'd be last. Now I gotta buy everyone ice cream once we're through security."

Gretchen giggled at Phineas' predicament. "Don't worry, I won't make you go broke. Isabella on the other hand…"

"Someone talking about me," Isabella asked as she finally reached the group. "Hey guys, whatcha doin'?"

"Uh, at the moment, checking out the monolith of a suitcase you've got with you," Phineas said, staring in awe at the size of the suitcase Isabella had with her. It was as tall as she was and probably outweighed her by at least ten pounds. "You do know we're only there through the weekend, right?"

Isabellla nodded and patted the suitcase. "Yup. I figure this should be just enough. As a Fireside Girl troop leader, I have to always be prepared."

Phineas and Ferb both blinked, then looked from Isabella's monstrous suitcase to Gretchen's fairly tiny by comparison bag, and then back to Isabella's. Then they looked at Gretchen as if they were asking for confirmation.

"This is why she's troop leader and I'm just her second-in-command," Gretchen told them.

As fortune would have it, everyone had electronic tickets for the flight so getting their bags checked didn't take terribly long. On the other hand, once they were all set they faced an incredibly long line for security.

"Guess we'd better get used to standing around," Phineas lamented. "This is the one part about travelling I could do without."

"You do know we don't have to wait, right," Isabella asked him.

Phineas looked at her completely puzzled. "Uh, I'm pretty sure we do."

Isabella shook her head. "Follow me. Gretchen, you have your credentials, right?"

"Of course," Gretchen replied.

Phineas and Ferb traded mystified looks and followed the two girls over towards a TSA agent, who was poised to tell them to get back in line. Isabella and Gretchen both produced their Fireside Girl badges and sashes.

"Troop Leader of Fireside Girls Troop 46231," Isabella told him quickly. "This is my second-in-command. We're travelling internationally today with these two boys. I personally vouch for them both; they present no danger to the flight and are not transporting any questionable materials."

"One moment while I verify your badge numbers," the agent said. He took the girls' badges and did some checking on his computer. Moments later, he handed the badges back to them and saluted them, which they both returned in kind. "Everything is in order, Troop 46231 Leader. You and your party may pass through. Have a safe flight."

Isabella thanked him and led the group to a separate path through the checkpoint where they went untouched and without waiting. Once through, Phineas quickly caught up to Isabella, full of curiosity.

"Okay, how'd you pull that off," he asked.

"All Fireside Girls are automatically white-listed at all TSA checkpoints," Isabella explained. "And Troop Leaders are allowed to vouch for up to four civilians."

"I gotta say, I'm pretty amazed. Ferb and I have travelled to England a number of times, but we don't get to get through security that fast."

Isabella chuckled and walked ahead of him again. "There's a lot more perks to being a Fireside Girl than just the cute uniforms."

Ferb looked curiously at Gretchen, who simply nodded to him. "You should see our digs for the Jamboree when it comes around."

Ferb suddenly recalled Baljeet's curiosity one time regarding if there were Fireside Boys as well, but he refrained from asking a question to which he already knew the likely answer.

* * *

With the announcement of their reaching cruising altitude, Gretchen loosened her seat belt a bit and reached for the novel she'd stored in the seat pocket in front of her. She took a moment to look out her window at the pillow-like clouds passing underneath them as they flew and bid good-bye to the Tri-State Area for a while.

"Care for some company," Ferb asked, causing her to startle a bit. He stood in the aisle next to her row. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's alright," she replied, catching her breath. "I got a bit too captivated with watching the world go by. There's no one sitting next to me, so you're welcome, but…don't you want to be with your brother?"

"You mean Snoring McHonkshoo? I daresay he'll be much for conversation for the next several hours."

Gretchen strained her ears to listen and, sure enough, two rows in front of her she heard Phineas snoring away in his seat; presumably with a fairly irritated Isabella right next to him.

"But you guys flew around the world chasing the sun and he didn't fall asleep," she noted as Ferb sat down next to her.

"That's because he was doing the flying. When he doesn't have anything to do on a flight, he passes right out. Guaranteed he won't wake up until we're on the ground again."

"Isabella must be beside herself."

"Quite the contrary, he seems to have gotten rather comfortable resting his head on her shoulder."

"Ah. Say no more, then."

Ferb smirked and then noticed the book still in Gretchen's hands. "I'm not keeping you from your book, am I?"

"Huh," Gretchen replied, suddenly remembering that she was holding a book at all. "Oh, this. I just picked it up from the newsstand for something to do, but I'd much rather talk. Though I have to admit, I'm kinda surprised by your talkativeness, Ferb."

"How come?"

"You are, as Phineas puts it, more of a man of action after all. The last couple of days is the most I've ever heard you talk."

Ferb shrugged and settled into the seat some more. "I talk when there's something worth saying or when I feel like it. I'm not like Phineas who, at times, seems to almost love hearing himself talk as much as he loves inventing things."

"I can definitely appreciate that. The Fireside Girls Lodge can get pretty noisy sometimes with all the girl chatter. I do my best while there not to pollute the air with yet more noise. Unfortunately, it's given me the image of being the quiet, nerdy girl."

"There's nothing wrong with being quiet or nerdy, at least in my book. After all, everything we've accomplished this summer has been thanks largely in part to those who are quiet and/or nerdy. Besides, you are a rather accomplished Fireside Girl yourself, right? That rather speaks against you being just another bookworm."

"I hadn't thought about it like that. You do have a point. It's just hard to see sometimes when I have girls like Isabella or Adyson to compare myself to."

"Speaking of which, do you mind a question about the Fireside Girls?"

"So long as it doesn't touch on something for which I'd have to kill you after divulging the information regarding, sure."

Given Gretchen's humor-free response, Ferb didn't know if she was actually joking or not. He decided it was best to not tempt fate and simply went on with his question.

"I must admit, I was actually a bit surprised to find out you're Isabella's second. Is that really your position with the troop?"

"Heh, I get that reaction a lot. But yeah, I am second-in-command. You probably thought it was Adyson, didn't you?"

"She does seem the type."

Gretchen smirked at him. "You wouldn't say that if you knew 'A. P. Sweetwater' better."

"A. P. Sweetwater?"

"Those are her initials. They actually stand for Adyson Priscilla, though the in-joke with us is that they actually mean Accident Prone. We tease her with that 'A.P.' nickname whenever she starts acting a little too big for her britches. She's actually a massive klutz."

"Really?"

"Remember the biodome?"

"Oh. Yes, I do. I suppose that explains that then."

"No no, you don't understand. That was a **good** day for her."

"Oh my."

"Yeah. Most of the first aid patches we all have are for giving her treatment. At this point I'm wondering if we'll have a chance to go for our M.A.S.H. patches yet this summer."

Ferb couldn't help but lightly chuckle as the image of the Fireside Girls setting up a makeshift operating room to remove Adyson's tonsils passed through his imagination.

"Should it ever come to that, I would hope for Adyson's sake you'd get to be 'Hawkeye' then," he said, still stifling his laughter.

Gretchen quickly picked up the reference and decided to play along. "Oh, so I'm not good-looking enough to be 'Hot Lips'?"

Ferb knew just how to get out of that trap. "You're far too smart and capable for that role, Gretchen. Plus you'd make a terrible blonde. I prefer brunettes anyway."

"R-really…" Ferb's admission caught her completely off-guard, and she found herself blushing as she absently brushed some of her hair back behind her ear.

Seeing Gretchen's reaction, Ferb suddenly found himself blushing as well. "I'm sorry, Gretchen, I didn't mean to embarrass you or-"

Gretchen quickly shook her head at him. "No, not at all. Really. Just because I have brown hair and all doesn't mean…I mean, there's so many other girls who have the same kind of hair and are far prettier than me…what I mean to say is you could've easily just picked some other prettier girl with brown hair…"

"Gretchen," Ferb said her name firmly, getting her attention and stopping her from verbally spinning her wheels.

"I'm sorry," she replied, finally getting a grip on herself. "This whole trip is still pretty overwhelming to me. I'm not used to this kind of treatment."

Ferb smiled a little and, very tentatively, put his hand on hers on the armrest between their seats. "If you were the sort who was used to it, I wouldn't have invited you."

Gretchen felt her heart race a little, but managed to look back at Ferb as he spoke.

"I do know a lot of people, and I'm sure there are many other girls who would've jumped at this opportunity, but it's like I said previously. I didn't want to go with just anyone. And as you've shown in the past, and especially recently, you are not just anyone. Truthfully, I can't think of anyone else with whom I'd rather be on this trip."

The two fell silent for some time, blushing at and trading smiles with each other as they sat just as they had been before Ferb had talked her down with his hand on hers. Finally, Gretchen pulled herself out of her daze and fanned herself with her book a bit.

"Getting a little warm and stuffy here," she noted, reaching for the controls above her for air.

"Yes, a little air is a good idea," Ferb added, doing likewise.

"This is going to be a really memorable trip, I just know it. I'll have to tell Hector all about it once I'm home."

"Who's Hector?"

"My pet hedgehog. He stays in my room with me. You can come see him sometime if you like."

"I'd like that. Hedgehogs aren't all that common as pets. Does he do any tricks?"

"Heh, no. He's just a hedgehog. They don't do much."

* * *

"Curse you, Hector the Hedgehog," cried out Dr. Diminutive as he lay tied up once again, foiled by his nemesis.

Across the Danville skyline, Hector the Hedgehog flew along with his rocket pack headed for the O.W.C.A. base. In the corner of his eye he spotted a familiar hang glider and banked over to fly alongside it.

Perry saw Hector come up alongside him and saluted, which Hector returned in kind. The two flew along together, landing back at the base simultaneously.

"Another one bites the dust," Hector said as he walked alongside Perry. "How was Doof today?"

"Not one of his better schemes," Perry replied. "Sometimes he really doesn't even try, I swear."

"At least you see action every day. Diminutive takes three times as long to come up with something for me to thwart."

"Believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Anyway, wanna grab a bite or something? Y'know, since both our owners are out of town for a while."

Perry stopped and thought for a moment. It had been a long time since he kicked back and relaxed with any of the other agents. "What the heck, I'm down. We should see if Pinky's available too."

"Now you're talkin'," Hector said, high-fiveing the platypus. "Who says we don't do much?"

* * *

Isabella stirred a bit, having drifted off to sleep herself some time ago. She looked over and, sure enough, Phineas was still out cold on her shoulder. She then noticed that Ferb was no longer sitting with them. She was alarmed at first until she looked behind her a bit and saw him chatting away with Gretchen a couple rows back. What's more, they were even holding hands. She smiled and, rather than disturb them, she settled back in her seat, carefully slid her arm around Phineas, and closed her eyes again. London was still a few hours away, and that was a few hours of bliss she wouldn't interrupt for anything.


	3. Chapter 3

Since Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher lived well outside of London, and the likelihood of trying to get into the city on the day of the wedding was anything but realistic, hotel arrangements had hastily been made before the group's departure. Due to the fact that the trip had come together at the last minute, though, their hotel was clear across the city from where things would be happening. Ferb assured everyone that his knowledge of London was more than enough to ensure they got where they needed to be when they needed to be there. Failing that, Phineas assured everyone that they'd be able to build something to get them where they needed to be when they needed to be there. With that matter settled, the group split up to their respective rooms to unpack.

"And…time," Isabella said, hitting the stop button on her stopwatch. She and Gretchen stood back to admire their handiwork. All of their things had been unpacked, put away, or hung up in what seemed to be an almost inhumanly short period of time.

"I think that'll get us our 'Home Away From Home' patch," Isabella added with a smile. "I wonder how the boys are doing?"

She was answered by a brief rumble through the floor and the sound of machinery from next door.

"I'd say they're well underway, if not also done as well already," Gretchen said, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "We should relax for a bit anyway. That flight was longer than I thought it'd be."

"Long enough to have a nice time talking with Ferb, I hope," Isabella said with a sly smile as she sat on her own bed facing her friend.

"H-h-h-h-how do you know about that?"

"I saw you guys together about halfway through the flight. I also saw you holding hands. So dish on the details, girl! How's it going?"

"W-w-we just talked, really," Gretchen said as she turned her gaze to the floor in an attempt to hide the redness of her face. "Nothing else happened."

"You do realize that Ferb doesn't talk that much with anyone else except Phineas, right? That's way more significant than you think."

No matter how much Gretchen tried to play it down in her mind, she knew Isabella was right. No one besides Phineas knew Ferb better than her, after all. And their lengthy conversation on the plane had been completely enthralling.

"He is pretty amazing to talk to," she finally said, looking up at Isabella with a small smile. "And we have more in common than I first thought."

Isabella grinned. Now they were getting to the good stuff. "Like what?"

* * *

"For starters, she much prefers the written version of Stumbleberry Finkbat to the movies," Ferb told Phineas as their nanobots continued to arrange their clothing and other packed items around the room. "I can't tell you how refreshing it is to find someone face-to-face who feels the same."

"You like the movies too, though, don't you," Phineas asked.

"The movies are all well and good, but they totally leave out many major story points. It distills the story to its bare minimum. The books are far and away better."

"If you say so. I've always preferred the visual medium myself. So what else did you guys talk about?"

"We both also share a natural disdain for romantic vampire stories. By the way, please do get Isabella out of that fad. Besides, it is as we say…

"Nothing good could ever come from the undead," Phineas said, finishing the sentence for him with a nod. "I'll see what I can do. So far I've just tuned her out when she starts talking about it."

"How's that different from any other-"

"Don't even finish that sentence."

Ferb noted the irritation in his brother's voice and continued recalling his conversation with Gretchen. "She noted that she hasn't done much travel yet. She hasn't even been outside the United States before, so this trip is a first for her."

"I'm glad we decided to bring her, then. Hopefully she can get some sightseeing in while we're here."

"Yes…about that. I meant to talk to you regarding just that. See…"

* * *

"**He's taking you sightseeing around London?"**

Gretchen bowled over onto her back almost rolling backwards off her bed at the force with which Isabella shouted her disbelief.

"Just to a few of the major spots," she replied, sitting back up. "We're going tomorrow, since the day after is the royal wedding and all."

Isabella pouted slightly. "Man are you ever lucky. Two days of just talking and you're going on a romantic tour of London with Ferb. Meanwhile I've been pining over Phineas for years and have almost nothing to show for it."

"You do realize that with us running around tomorrow that leaves you and Phineas totally alone, right?"

"With my luck he'll probably spend the day holed up in his room dreaming up inventions and whatnot."

* * *

"You are not to spend the whole day holed up in here dreaming up inventions and whatnot," Ferb told his brother resolutely. "I do not want to come back to find a repeat of the Paris incident."

"In my defense, had I not stayed on task we wouldn't even be here for this event since Buford would've won the bet," Phineas replied. "But I hear you loud and clear. I'll try to do something nice with Isabella."

"You won't have to try very hard you know."

"Says you, you're good at this kinda stuff. I may be able to do quadratic equations in my head, but I'm pretty inept when it comes to girls; especially her."

"I'll help you brainstorm some ideas tonight. For now, let's get the girls and go to dinner. I'm positively starving."

The boys happened to leave their room almost at the same time as the girls did the same, all four meeting in the hall.

"You guys hungry," Phineas asked.

"Gretchen's stomach is threatening to digest itself," Isabella noted with a smirk, recalling the hungry sound her friend's stomach had just made in the room.

"There are a number of pubs nearby that we can choose from for some dinner," Ferb added.

"Aren't we a little young to be going to a pub," Gretchen wondered.

Ferb chuckled at her. "Yes. Yes we are. At least if we were going to drink. Fortunately most pubs offer much more than just alcohol on their menus."

"Alright then, let's bounce," Phineas announced as they set off for the evening.

As they headed out, and as best he could without Ferb noticing, Phineas slowed up his pace while Isabella nudged Gretchen ahead. Upon noticing her alongside him, Ferb struck up yet another conversation with Gretchen as they continued on their way. Behind them, Isabella and Phineas shared a quick and quiet high-five and then continued on behind them, hand-in-hand and blushing the whole way.


	4. Chapter 4

Most people found the view from Tower Bridge's walkways to simply be pleasant. To a young girl who'd never set foot outside of the United States, however, it was breathtaking. Gretchen stood as close to the protective glass encasing the walkway as she could, taking in the panorama.

"Such a fantastic view of such a fantastic river," she said, captivated by it all.

"Most people aren't all that impressed by the Thames," Ferb noted with a shrug. "It is rather muddy after all."

"They wouldn't think that way if they knew its history. This is one of the most important rivers in the world! Economically it served as the thoroughfare for England's ships for centuries. Strategically, controlling it has always been critical to defending London; even during World War II."

Ferb cocked an eyebrow at her, impressed at her knowledge. "For someone who's never been here before you certainly know a lot about England. Most tourists mistake Tower Bridge for London Bridge."

"I did an extensive report on the Thames River for Social Studies last year," Gretchen said, looking back at him. "It was for our study on famous rivers of the world. Remember the day Baljeet and I were arguing in the hall after school?"

"It's rather hard to forget. Outside of science fiction trivia, I've never seen him get so passionate about something. Is that what that was all about?"

"Yeah, we kinda got into a debate over which river was more historically significant: the Thames or the Ganges."

"That was rather loud for a debate, wasn't it?"

Gretchen blushed from embarrassment. "Yeah. We apologized to each other the next day. He's just very protective of his country's history, especially with the Ganges' religious significance. As for me, the Thames is really special because of the Frost Fairs."

"Okay, now I'm impressed. Some British people don't even know about that."

"I mean, how cool is that? The river used to freeze so solid people would set up tents and actually live right on top of it! What I wouldn't give to see that actually happen…"

As Gretchen daydreamed for a moment, Ferb quickly pulled out a notepad and pencil and hastily scribbled "freeze a river and throw a party on it" inside of it. That was definitely an idea to pass by Phineas some other time. He managed to hide his materials just as she snapped out of her reverie and walked back over to him.

"So what's next on the itinerary," she asked.

"Southwark Cathedral isn't too far off from here," he replied as they started walking towards the exit. "There's also the ever-popular Tower of London."

Gretchen's eyes lit up in anticipation. "Any chance we can hit both?"

Ferb smiled confidently at her. "Your wish is my command, milady."

Gretchen blushed again at the comment and fell in alongside Ferb. For a moment, she cautiously began to reach for his hand but stopped and calmed herself down. It was too soon in the day for such a bold move; besides, just travelling the city like this and sharing its history with someone as amazing as him was more than romantic enough for her.

* * *

"We're not going to shop for robot parts or something, right," Isabella asked.

"Far from it," Phineas replied with a smile.

"Or car parts? Airplane parts? Cold fusion reactor parts?"

"No, no, and no. Just trust me on this."

"Normally I would, Phineas, but we're heading away from just about every major sightseeing attraction in London right now. What's out this way that's so special?"

"You'll see. It's a surprise."

Isabella sighed and turned to the window of the double-decker bus they were riding. Much as she wanted to believe that Phineas had something special in mind for them, his track record spoke much louder. As they continued their journey she idly wondered if Gretchen was having any better luck on her tour of the city with Ferb.

* * *

When Ferb had promised a whirlwind tour of London, he hadn't been joking around as Gretchen had now found out firsthand. After the Tower of London and Southwark Cathedral they'd made their way west, stopping for a quick snack along the way. Presently they were coming out of the Churchill War Rooms, which was actually a museum dedicated to the life of Winston Churchill. It was a stop both of them appreciated greatly.

"Anywhere else you'd still like to get to today," Ferb asked as they exited the museum. "We've still got loads of time before we promised to meet up with Phineas and Isabella."

"I would like to ride the London Eye if at all possible," she replied, sounding a bit sheepish, "but is there anything you'd like to do, Ferb? I feel like I'm monopolizing the whole day, after all."

"Oh I've quite enjoyed this time as well, so don't worry about that. I don't get many opportunities to show off my home country's capital city, after all."

It didn't take much walking from the museum for them to both see an incredible, and rare, sight. Westminster Abbey was visible from where they were, as was an absolute crush of people lined up outside its gates. Many of the people even carried sleeping gear so as to camp outside the abbey's gates for the coming event.

"People are really excited for this wedding, aren't they," Gretchen noted.

"More than I could possibly describe in words," Ferb replied. "My father being one of them."

"Oh man, it's really too bad he couldn't come then."

"Yes and no. Much as I'm sure he regrets not being here, father's a bit of a nutter when it comes to the royal family; especially with regards to Princess Diana and her sons."

"I've only ever read about her. Was she really that special?"

Ferb nodded vigorously. "Father speaks of her from time to time as a member of British royalty who was the very picture of compassion, beauty, and grace. To him, she was everything a princess should be; or at least, everything a princess out of a storybook should be. That her oldest son is getting married tomorrow in what is destined to be as much of a spectacle as her own wedding was is, in father's opinion, as it should rightfully be."

Gretchen looked from Ferb back to the crowd of people. "I guess rather than your father it's more appropriate to say it's too bad she couldn't be here for this wedding, then."

Ferb nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I'm sure there are those who believe she'll be attending in spirit, or those who say she'll be there in the hearts and minds of all those present. Still, I'm sure Prince William wishes she were there in person instead."

"I'm sure it'll still be quite a fabulous and romantic event, though. I can't wait to actually witness it."

"I'm more interested in the subsequent festivities to be honest."

"That too," Gretchen said, suddenly remembering what lie ahead of them. "It's going to be a day of memories for everyone."

"Hopefully happy ones," Ferb added as they resumed their journey. As they walked, he looked to the sky and hoped Phineas had managed to come up with something to do with Isabella that would give them some happy memories of this trip as well.

* * *

"Phineas, how much further is this place," Isabella asked, her annoyance level reaching critical mass.

"We're almost there," he reassured her. "You've still got your eyes closed, right?"

"For the fiftieth time, yes."

As soon as they'd gotten off the bus, Phineas had made her promise to close her eyes while he led her by the hand to where they were headed. Much as she enjoyed holding hands with him, being led around blindly was getting on her nerves. Finally, after quite a bit of walking, they came to a stop.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now," he told her.

Isabella opened her eyes and beheld what Phineas had wanted to show her: a crosswalk on a city street. She looked at him as he stood smiling at her, presenting the crosswalk. Then she looked back at it again.

"Whadya think? Impressive to see, isn't it?"

"Phineas…"

"I mean, just look at it Isabella. It's truly amazing to actually see in person."

"…I'm going back to the hotel."

Phineas quickly moved to cut her off. "Whoa, hold on! Don't you like this? I mean-"

"No, Phineas, I don't," she replied, now seething with anger. "We wasted an entire day in London for you to bring me to some random street and show me a stupid crosswalk? We could've gone to see Westminster Abbey or Buckingham Palace or any of about a hundred other amazing things, but this is what you chose? I…I just…"

As Isabella began to break down into sobs, Phineas immediately understood the problem. He looked over and, thankfully, saw a police officer nearby directing traffic. After telling Isabella to stay where she was, he quickly ran over to him.

"Excuse me, officer," he said, approaching the man. "I kinda need a big, huge favor…"

"Say no more, son," the officer said with a knowing wink and smile. "We get these kind of requests all the time. Though, aren't you a bit young to know about this place?"

"Yes. Yes I am," Phineas replied quickly. "I get that a lot."

After thanking the officer, Phineas sprinted back over to Isabella. As the officer directed traffic away from the street, Phineas took her by the hand again and pulled her out into the middle of the street. Then he turned her to look at the crosswalk again.

"Isabella, take another look," he told her, holding her shoulders.

Isabella wiped her eyes and looked up at the crosswalk again, only now from the street instead of the sidewalk. Her heart suddenly leapt. She had seen this scene before, and instantly placed it from one of her father's old record album covers.

"Oh my gosh…" she said breathlessly. "Phineas…this is…"

"Not just any ordinary crosswalk," he said, finishing her sentence for her. He stepped away from her as he went over to one side of the sidewalk and began to sing to her, all the while stepping from line to line as he crossed the street.

"_Something in the way she moves,  
Attracts me like no other lover.  
Something in the way she woos me.  
I don't want to leave her now,  
You know I believe and how._

Somewhere in her smile she knows,  
That I don't need no other lover.  
Something in her style that shows me.  
I don't want to leave her now,  
You know I believe and how.

You're asking me will my love grow,  
I don't know, I don't know.  
Stick around, and it may show,  
But I don't know, I don't know.

Something in the way she knows,  
And all I have to do is think of her.  
Something in the things she shows me.  
I don't want to leave her now.  
You know I believe and how."

Isabella quickly met him on the other side of the street as he finished his song. Tears were still stinging her eyes, but these tears weren't born of the sadness and frustration she had felt before. Phineas smiled sheepishly at her and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I know I could've taken you to any of those other places," he told her. "I just wanted to take you somewhere a little different. Unique people should have unique life experiences, after all."

"I understand now," she replied, drying her eyes quickly. She stepped up to him, pulled him close, and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. "Thank you, Phineas. This meant the world to me."

Before they left they had the police officer take a few photos of them at the crosswalk. After thanking him profusely, they set off to return to the hotel to share their pictures and memories with Ferb and Gretchen from their visit to Abbey Road.

* * *

Gretchen hadn't thought it possible to find a view of London more amazing than the one from Tower Bridge, but the sight of the city from the London Eye was proving her wrong. As their car on the giant ferris wheel began to reach its apex there wasn't much of the city she couldn't see. She looked over at Ferb who was also looking at the city, but clearly was thinking of other things at the moment.

"Something on your mind," she asked curiously.

"Just wondering is all," he replied. "I wonder what it's like to be getting married like the prince and his intended tomorrow. Most boys don't really give things like weddings any thought at all. I'd be lying if I said I was any different."

"Well I can't speak for the prince, but I'm sure she's looking forward to tomorrow more than anything else in her life so far. Most girls dream about their wedding day. I'd be lying if I said I was any different."

"So you do want to get married? Someday, that is. And to someone. I mean, not necessarily…"

Gretchen couldn't help but bust up laughing. "Don't worry yourself, Ferb. Like I've said, I'm not Isabella. I'm not looking to tie anyone down so early in my life."

"That is a bit of a relief to hear," Ferb said, laughing a bit as well. "Knowing Isabella, she'd probably quite like it if her marriage to Phineas were already arranged."

"To answer your question, though…yeah. I do want to get married someday. I can't even imagine right now who might be in my future or when we'd get together, but I'm in no hurry to get to that point. Besides, there's so much I want to see and do still. This trip has convinced me that if nothing else that I really need to see the things I've spent so much time reading and learning about. Getting married is all well and good, but I don't want to necessarily get tied down before I'm done with all of that."

"Like my Aunt Tiana and Uncle Bob."

"Yeah, pretty much exactly like that. And by the way, that was one great wedding you guys threw for them too."

"Talk to Candace about it sometime if you like. Though Phineas has also requested she plan his out, so you'll need to coordinate with him for her time."

"I'll keep it in mind. Thanks. And, well…thank you for today too. This has been an incredible day, Ferb. I've had a lot of fun."

"As have I, Gretchen," Ferb replied with a smile and small bow. "And I think tomorrow will be fun as well, despite our needing to dress up for it."

Gretchen giggled again and turned her gaze back to the city, not wanting to worry or scare Ferb with the fact that she was quite looking forward to dressing up, as well as seeing him dress up too. After all, just because she didn't know who she might end up marrying someday didn't mean she didn't already have an idea of someone who might just fit the bill down the road.


	5. Chapter 5

The atmosphere inside Westminster Abbey was both sublime and surreal as the newly wedded royal couple made their way down the aisle. The combination of the trees that lined the aisle and the sheer amount of light pouring into the abbey created an illusion that they were simultaneously indoors and outdoors. The couple was the very picture of a pair of stately, royal newlyweds. While the boys did their best to be silent and respectful as they passed by, Isabella and Gretchen were positively enchanted; especially by Cate's stunning dress and tiara.

It was some time before they were able to extract themselves from the crowd, especially with Ferb having to greet people who knew his grandparents. A few hours later, though, all were back at the hotel getting prepared for the ball they were to attend that evening.

"I still wish I understood why we've got to get so dressed up for this," Phineas complained as he let the nanobots fix his tie for him. "It's not like the prince and princess are actually going to be there."

"No, but people who know our grandparents will be," Ferb reminded him. "Remember, we wouldn't be here were it not for their generosity. The least we can do is put forth a good face on their behalf."

"And we can't do that in a t-shirt and shorts?"

"'Fraid not."

Phineas grumbled as the nanobots finished tightening the tie around his neck. "I swear when I get married the dress code's gonna be Hawai'ian shirts and Bermuda shorts."

Ferb stifled a chuckle at his brother's comment and was about to follow it up when a knock came at their door.

"C'mon in, we're all set," Phineas called out. In retrospect moments later, Phineas would wish he'd prepared himself mentally a bit more. As it was, his jaw just about hit the floor.

Isabella stepped in, dressed in a ball down of deep violet color with a small amount of white lace trimming the neckline and a cascade of ruffles down the skirt that reached the floor. Small stud earrings sparkled at her ears and her hair was held back with a black hairband that sported a red flower off to one side. Upon seeing Phineas' reaction, she inwardly celebrated a bit. Perhaps, she mused, he wasn't as oblivious to her as she'd thought.

Ferb quickly attempted to close Phineas' mouth for him only for it to drop open again immediately as he turned to address Isabella. "I'm sure if Phineas were capable of speech at the moment he'd tell you that you look smashing, Isabella."

"I think his reaction is saying it for him," Isabella said with a giggle. "But thanks, Ferb. You guys clean up pretty well yourselves. Wouldn't you say so, Gretchen?"

It was Ferb's turn now, though he managed to compose himself significantly better than his brother. Gretchen's dress was burgundy in color with white embroidered patterns along the sleeves, neckline, bodice, and the hem of the skirt. Her skirt had a few ruffles in it, but nowhere near as many as Isabella's. She had no earrings, but instead a gold eagle pendant dangled from her neck and she carried a small purse of the same color as her dress.

"They are indeed the very picture of handsome young gentlemen," Gretchen replied. Ferb's speechlessness wasn't lost on her either, and she blushed lightly at the attention he was paying to her.

Ferb snapped himself out of his trance and, after clearing his throat, elbowed Phineas in the side hard to get him to do the same. Phineas yelped in pain and looked resentfully at Ferb for a moment before finally regaining his composure as well.

"Now that we're all dressed to the nines," Ferb said to the group, "let's get out there and have a night to remember."

After a rousing cheer of agreement, the four set out to catch a cab to their party. Isabella fell in alongside Phineas, who was still mildly panicking over what to say to her. Gretchen, on the other hand, quickly hooked her free hand around Ferb's arm as they continued towards what she could only hope would be an incredible evening to go with the incredible wedding they had all borne witness to earlier.

* * *

It took them no time at all to arrive at the ballroom where their party was being held. It was, however, taking forever for them to actually get inside since everyone attending had to be announced upon their arrival. After a little over half an hour of waiting, it was finally their turn. The announcer spoke loudly, pronouncing their names to all those already inside.

"Attending on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Fletcher," he said, "Mr. Phineas Flynn, escorted by Miss Isabella Garcia-Shapiro."

Isabella waved to Ferb and Gretchen as she and Phineas headed inside to a round of applause. Gretchen swallowed hard and squeezed Ferb's arm a bit, suddenly nervous at the attention she was about to receive. Ferb patted her hand gently with his free hand, giving her some measure of reassurance as their turn came up.

"Also attending on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Fletcher," the announcer called out, "Mr. Francis Fletcher, escorted by Miss Gretchen Adler."

The two made their way in to a similar round of applause as what had greeted Phineas and Isabella. The hall was filled with older, incredibly important looking people and was decorated with royal colors and banners. A string quartet played at the other end of the hall, and a rather elaborate buffet was set out for dinner.

"Francis," Gretchen asked quietly as she looked up at Ferb. "That's what 'Ferb' is short for?"

Ferb blushed heavily. "Yeah…please just stick to calling me Ferb, though. I'm rather unaccustomed to hearing my full name."

"I will, but…well, I do like your full name. It's quite distinguished, just like you."

Ferb lightly scoffed at the idea. "You wouldn't say that if you knew be better."

"Maybe I'd like to."

Gretchen made the reply quickly, lest she lose the nerve and courage she'd summoned to express it. It took Ferb completely off guard. He looked down at Gretchen, who looked back up at him; she was hopeful but also scared out of her mind. Before either of them could speak again, Phineas and Isabella finally reached them through the crowd.

"I don't know what's gonna drive me crazy first," Phineas complained as he tugged at the neck of his tightly-buttoned shirt. "This tie or the sheer amount of stuffiness in here."

"It's not all that hot," Isabella noted, feeling rather comfortable herself.

"I'm not talking temperature," Phineas added as he looked at all the rather important, or perhaps self-important, people milling about around them.

"You guys really aren't much for pretense, are you," Gretchen said, mentally tabling her talk with Ferb for the time being.

"We'd much rather walk the walk than talk the talk," Ferb told her. "For now, though, we don't have much choice. We'll need to just stomach it for the time being."

"At least we have the two prettiest girls in the room to accompany us," Phineas said casually. He then blinked in disbelief. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

Ferb tried his hardest to control his laughter while Gretchen giggled uncontrollably at Isabella's reaction, which was the human equivalent of a Blue Screen of Death.

"Yes. Yes you did," Gretchen said as she tried to catch her breath from laughing so hard. "We'd better all wander together, or poor Izzie will end up getting mistaken for a statue."

Phineas sheepishly took Isabella's hand, which seemed to snap her out of her daze just enough to get her to start moving with the group. Once her brain finally processed Phineas' statement, she did her best to look him in the eye; her expression similar to Gretchen's earlier after her bold statement to Ferb. Fortunately for her, Phineas met her gaze and gave her a bashful smile and an affirming nod as if to tell her that he'd meant what he'd said. Her only response was to lace her arm even more tightly around his and hug his arm as they went about the room. That one admission on his part suddenly made all the pomp and circumstance they'd have to endure that night all worthwhile.

* * *

Prior to that night, Ferb had never understood when he'd read about characters who had found a nighttime breeze to be "refreshing" or "delicious" or other similar qualifiers. After the amount of socializing he'd had to endure at the party thus far, he fully understood what was meant in those scenes. Getting away from the crowd to simply get a breath of fresh air was an incredibly welcome diversion; one made even more enjoyable when Gretchen joined him on the balcony.

"This seems to be the cool kids' room," Gretchen commented, noting a few other people who were also on the expansive balcony. They were all minding their own business, though, so in truth they may as well have been out there alone.

"I'd agree, but it's lacking Laser Tag," Ferb replied with a half-smile.

"I've never done that before. Do you think it'd help me work on my 'Deadeye' patch?"

"Perhaps, but I'd say only try it if you're really interested."

Gretchen paused a moment and then took a couple steps closer to him. "So long as you're involved, I think I already admitted earlier that I would be."

Ferb chewed his lower lip a bit. He'd had a feeling this would come up again once they were alone. He looked back inside the hall and immediately picked out Phineas and Isabella on the dance floor. Satisfied that they weren't about to be interrupted any time soon, he turned to face Gretchen.

"About that…" he started.

"Before you say anything, Ferb," she said, stopping him momentarily. "I just want you to know that I still mean what I said yesterday. I'm not looking to tie anyone down like Isabella is with Phineas. I mean, as good a friend as she is to me I don't like how much time she tries to spend with him. It's like she has a hard time defining her own existence without him. I'm not like that, or at least I'd like to think I'm not.

"That said…I do understand that she wants to be close to him. And that's all I'm thinking about is being closer to someone…to you. Truth be told, I've had something of a crush on you for a while now. I didn't do anything about it because, well, I'm fairly plain compared to the people you know and have hung out with; especially that one older girl who wears all black. I really don't hold a candle to her. In spite of all of that, though, and after everything that's happened on this trip…I still really would like to get to know you even better, Ferb. It's not wholly important right now to me if it turns into something romantic or not someday, but you're someone special to me. And…uh…yeah, I think that's about it. Man, do I suck at expressing feelings…"

Gretchen fell silent and looked away from Ferb, waiting and wondering what he'd say in response. The silence threatened to swallow her whole until suddenly she felt arms go around her and pull her close. Ferb was hugging her silently. Her heart started to race as she felt his warmth. Finally, several long moments later, he took a deep breath as he summoned up his own reserves of courage.

"I'd like that too," he said simply.

"You would," she repeated questioningly.

"Yeah. I'd like to get to know you better as well."

"R-really?"

Ferb stepped back a bit from her, but still held her by her shoulders. "Absolutely. But can you promise me something?"

"I'll try."

"Stop comparing yourself to others like you did just now," he told her. "It's not fair at all."

"Everyone tells me that, but it's hard when they're so-"

"No no, don't mistake me," Ferb said, cutting her off. "It's not fair to _them_. After all, how could they possibly compare to someone like you?"

Gretchen was downright confused now. "I…don't follow…"

"Well, after all you are incredibly smart, pretty, witty, and adventurous. All those other girls you talk about don't hold a candle to **you**, Gretchen. So really, stop comparing yourself to them. They couldn't possible match what you have."

"But…but what about…you know…"

"Vanessa," Ferb asked, uttering the name of the girl he knew she was referring to. Gretchen merely nodded. "I'll say this much for what happened in Paris when we were flying around the world: it taught me that nothing can happen in a relationship if the feelings only go one way. Phineas and Isabella are starting to figure that out as well.

"I can't say that I don't care about her at all anymore, though. I'm not sure what kind of feelings I still have for her. I'm also not sure what feelings I have for you, either. But it's like you said yourself. That's not as important to me right now as getting to know someone who's quite special to me a bit better."

Gretchen smiled up at him, her heart soaring with all the feelings that Ferb had brought out in her. A voice in the back of her head prodded her a bit. If ever there were an opportune moment, it was now.

"There's one other thing, Ferb," she said. "But I'd like it if you came closer for me to say it. It's a little embarrassing is all."

Ferb nodded and stepped up to her again, craning his neck down towards her. Before he could react, Gretchen took his face in her hands and, for the briefest of moments, kissed him on the lips. She quickly stepped back after, blushing profusely as she smiled at him.

"I-I-I thought you said romance wasn't important right now," Ferb said in amazement, suddenly overwhelmed by the display of affection.

"I said it wasn't _wholly_ important," she said, correcting him. "That doesn't mean I don't like or appreciate it."

"You are a wily one, you know that? I'm going to have my hands full, aren't I?"

Gretchen laced her arm through his as she began leading him back inside, hopefully for a dance.

"You'd better believe it."

* * *

It was another picturesque morning, and there was another big idea being worked on in the backyard. Ferb pored over the blueprints Phineas had drawn up as supplies began arriving. They had returned from the trip to England two days earlier, and after ample time resting to recover from the jet lag the boys thought it best to get right back to their routine. Phineas had just left the backyard moments earlier to flag the trucks to the back. Once the last of the trucks delivered its payload, Ferb expected to hear Phineas running back to help get construction underway. Instead, what greeted him coming through the backyard gate was a short, smiling, bespectacled girl dressed in a Fireside Girl uniform.

"Hi Ferb," Gretchen said cheerily. "Whatcha doin'?"

Ferb smirked at her. "Best be careful with that. Isabella might sue you for copyright infringement."

"Good thing I have my 'Intellectual Property' patch, then."

"That doesn't actually exist. Does it?"

Gretchen grinned at him and pointed to one of the myriad of patches on her sash. "I got it while looking up if she did actually have the phrase registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; which she doesn't. So, to re-iterate, whatcha doin'? And can I be of help?"

"You certainly can help, though have you seen Phineas?"

"Oh, Isabella caught him in the driveway before I came back. I think they're gonna hit a movie, but they'll be back after lunchtime. Phineas told me to come help with your plan until then."

Ferb shook his head, realizing exactly what was going on. "Well, you any good with a welding torch?"

Gretchen frowned a bit. "Not so much. But I do have my sewing patch."

Ferb smiled at her as he grabbed his welding equipment. "That actually helps more than you know. There's a fair bit of cloth to sew up for this one. Let's get to work, shall we?"

Gretchen nodded enthusiastically and, with a quick adjustment to her glasses, grabbed a needle and thread and set to work; all the while chatting with Ferb: her friend, intellectual peer, London tour guide, and perhaps someday, boyfriend.

_**The End.**_


	6. Author's Afterword

Author's Afterword

With the final, edited version of this story having now been posted, I opted to move my afterword for this story to its own section since there was enough said to warrant it. Plus I wanted to add something to the story in order to bring peoples' attention to the final version of it and build some interest for the upcoming follow-up to it. Yes I am that shameless. ^_^

For those not aware, this was originally a challenge fic I posed to myself. Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull it off, but I did and I'm at least somewhat proud of myself for it. The essence of the challenge was that I wanted to write a fic using a current event as the backdrop. I wanted it to happen more or less in time with the event in question, and I wanted to do it with no editing involved. The original story I posted was indeed 100% raw writing, which is a habit I will not be getting back into. I much prefer to present polished, properly edited work as opposed to raw writing or, Heaven forbid, posting things as I write them.

A couple of things to note about this story. First, yes I am aware that Ferb's "real name" is still a mystery within the series. I also know Gretchen hasn't been given an actual last name in the series either. So I've gone off of as much information or speculation as I figured was reasonable for both.

Ferb's character is said to be based off of a guy the creators of the series know named Frank. Frank can also be another short way of saying the name "Francis", which is what I ended up picking here.

As for Gretchen's last name here, Adler is a very German last name. I thought it fitting since, well, Gretchen is a very German first name. "Adler" also means "eagle", and you'll note the pendant she was wearing at the ball was, in fact, an eagle. Look at me getting all symbolic and stuff.

Finally, I do realize that the popular pairing for Ferb is for him to end up with Vanessa. I also know the creators even hint at them perhaps hooking up much later in life, but I'll be completely honest here: I don't like Vanessa very much at all. Not to mention I couldn't feasibly reason out how to manage the difference in their ages. So rather than force myself to write something I don't like, I just picked someone else for Turbo Ferb-o. My next set of choices for him was one of the Fireside Girls. In the quick planning session I did for this fic it was going to be either Adyson or Gretchen, but I settled on Gretchen since there's at least a small fanbase for the pairing and because, dang it, I like her.

I do hope you've enjoyed this fic, even if it's not a "standard" pairing. Ultimately I strive for one thing in my writing, and that's to entertain. I'm not out to break new ground, write epics (necessarily), be profound or any of that jazz. I just like telling stories, period. If you did enjoy it, please do check out the follow-up story I have written to this one once it's up. It's called Love the One You're With, and revisits Ferb and Gretchen's relationship a few years after the London trip.

Thank you again for your patronage and your time, and I do hope you find my other stories to be entertaining as well.


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